The 7th Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Oxidative Stress and Disease has been assembled around the theme The Metabolic - Inflammatory Axis in Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Disease and is designed from an interdisciplinary perspective to provide discovery, translational, and clinical scientists with the latest findings on the role of oxidative stress in energy metabolism and inflammatory responses in brain aging and neurodegeneration, with emphasis on Alzheimer's disease. The GRCs are internationally recognized for the high-quality and cutting-edge nature of their meetings. The 2013 GRC on Oxidative Stress and Disease, The Metabolic-Inflammatory Axis in Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Disease, will be held on 14-19 April 2013 at the Les Diablerets Conference Center, Switzerland. The scientific program focuses on bioenergetic deficits and activation of inflammatory responses, their redox (oxidative stress) regulation, and their role in synaptic plasticity and cognition in healthy brain aging and Alzheimer's. Dynamic interactions among these systems are examined in terms of their causative or in-tandem occurrence and how does the systemic environment, e.g., insulin resistance, diabetes, and inflammation, impact on brain function. The significance of addressing 'healthy' brain aging and Alzheimer's disease is established by the escalation of Alzheimer's, which currently (2012) impacts more than 5.4 million Americans of all ages, and is projected to rise by 30% by 2025. This 2013 GRC on Oxidative Stress and Disease brings together an international cadre of experts with a broad range of interests and approaches to healthy brain aging and to Alzheimer's disease; this provides a unique forum for in-depth discussions on cellular mechanisms and their forward translation into interventions to prevent, delay, or treat the memory loss and cognitive slowing associated with brain aging and exacerbated in Alzheimer's disease. This GRC is also an example of reverse translation inasmuch as clinical scientists using non-invasive neuroimaging techniques will share their findings with basic scientists. In addition, a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will be organized by junior investigators at the post-doctoral level. The GRS will be held the day before the GRC (13 April 2013) and is oriented towards junior investigators and aimed at (a) providing them with solid background on common mechanisms involved in brain aging and neurodegeneration in order to maximize the understanding of the science that will be discussed in the subsequent GRC; (b) promoting communications between young investigators that nurture potential collaborations, and creating a collegial mentorship from senior members for career and academic development. We fully anticipate that the scientific discussions, research talks, poster sessions and other close interactions among the participants of the GRC and the GRS will significantly advance their understanding of the mechanisms inherent in healthy brain aging or its progression into Alzheimer's disease and set the foundations for collaborative investigations aimed at promoting new therapeutic interventions for these disorders.